Spring hanger and gusset for automobile frames



I July 31, 192s.

y B. T. ANDREN SPRING HA'NGER AND GUSSET FOR AUTOMOBILE FRAMES 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 28, 1926 VM VUM ITTORNEYS.

July 31, 1928.

B. T. ANDREN SPRING HANGER AND GUSSET FOR AUTOMOBILE FRAMES Filed June28. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS A T TORNEYS.

Del.

' 4 5 left of- Fig. 1. y Fi 3 is a view in the 'plane of Fig. 1,

Patented July 3i, 192s.

BIRGER TORVALD ANDREN,-OF MILWAUKEE,

CORPORATION, OF MILWAUKEE, .WISOONSIN,

WISCONSIN, ASSIGNORTO A. O. SMITH A CORPORATION OF,NEW YORK.

SPRING HANGER AND GUSSET FOR AUTOMOBILE FRAMES.

Application illed June 28, 1926.I Serial No. 119,014.

My invention relates to an improved con- 4 struction of spring hangerand gusset for an automobile frame, whereby the saidelements areproduced integrally instead of separate-v ly as is usual in manufacturesof this class.

The separate production of these elements necessitates additional costin their manufacture as well as additional work in their assembly, and Ihave found that -economy in the cost of production can be eected 1ntheir combination in one structure, with a saving of labor at the timethat the elements are assembled and incorporated in the frame .25drawing press sov as to constitute a unitary spring hanger and gusset.The article is capable of considerable variation in its structuralfeatures, but in all of such varied constructions the dominant idea ofthe invention is resent. l

In -t e drawings attached hereto, and forming apart of thisspecification, several forms of my invention are illustrated. d Thesewill now be described in detail, and the novelty of the invention willbe pointed out in the appended-claims.

In theaccompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view,transversely of one of the cross bars, showing `the constructionof oneform of my invenand the manner in which it is used to:

tion,

connect the ends of a cross bar to the side bars of an automobile frame,and Fig. 2-

is a view in elevation of, thesanie fromI the .showing the inventionslightlymodied, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the same.

Fig. 5 is al view in the plane of Fig. 1,

I and 6 is a view in elevation from theA left of Fig. 5, tion. Fig. 7 isa perspective view from the unf" derside'of the frame showinganothermodishowing a further modiicain other instances by punchinfication, and Fig. 8 is a view in elevation of the same from the left ofFig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the modification shown in Figs.7 and 8, -on the line 9 9, Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a vertical sectionalview of the same on the line 10--1O, Fig. 9, looking in the direction ofthe arrows. he invention has been developed from an en meer-ingstandpoint with particular consi eration of the unctionswhich it isdesigned to subsei've, so that the same may be produced economically andwith no waste other than a minimum amount of material.- In all of itsforms, the features of the improved ,spring hanger and gusset areproduced by turning from the plane of the metal plate out of which thearticle is formed, certain portions thereof so as to standperpendicularly to the plate. In some instances, such perpendicularportions are formed by bending the end ofthe plate, and r out and po'-sitioning a tongue in parallelism with the bent end. In all ofthe-constructions, the plate is provided with a lateral width over thatrequired in forming the spring hanger and in excess of the `thickness ofthe cross bar, so as to' endow the gusset portion with the necessaryresistance to strains, and so provide the frame with the required degreeof stability.

In Fig. 1, the numeral 10 indicates the side bar and the numeral 11 thecross bar of an automobile frame, the cross bar being lapped at its endsas at 12 and 13, to permit connection to the side bar. A gusset andspring han er1/l is formed from a comparatively thic metal'plate fromwhich' tongues 15 and 16 are punched. The tongue 15 is upturiied so asto lie against` or stand vertically with relation to the side bar, whilethe tongue 16, offset vertically to compensate for the lower flange ofthel side bar, is caused to come into contact with the underside of thelower 1 flange of the cross bar. The end portions of the' plate aredownturned to form the parallel lugs.17 and 18 which form the springhanger..y It is better to provide the lugs 1'7 and 18 with enlargements19 and 20, which form bosses for the reception of the connecting pin ofthe spring h anger, in all forms of the invention, as well as thatillustrated in 1 and 2.. Viewing Fig. 2, it will be l, s' n hat thegusset portion is widened laterally of the'cross bar so as to extendfromy both sides thereof, and constitute the gusset as a strong brace.The parts when formed and assembled as in Figs. .l .and 2 are united byrivets, or otherwise, so as to form a substantial, permanent structure.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the spring hanger is produced by downturning one endofthe plate 30 so as to form a lug 31 and by punch-4 ing out from thetop of the plate a tongue which is downturned to form the companion lug32, to stand parallel with the lug 31.

In Figs. 5 and 6, the spring hanger is shown as offset from the sidebar, so as to meet the requirements of the spring conne@ tions incertain types of frames. v The plate 5,0 isprovided with downturnedvlugs 5l and 52, forming the spring hanger, produced in.

a manner quite similar `to that last de-` scribed. The plate 50,however, has greater length and is downturned as at 53 and returned asat 54, so as to embrace the lower outer angle of the side bar, and isextended plate 70, so asto form an integral dependparallel to eachother.

ingiange or' skirt 71, extending almost entirely around the springhanger and gusset.

This reinforcement enables the spring hanger to better resist thedownward pressures upon the loaded vehicle, and the strains encounteredin uneven road condiff tions. l v

'The spread of the web of the gusset laterally at both sides of thecross bar as de- `scribed,l enables strong bracing `to be performed, byreason'of the distance apart o1' the rivets whichvconnect the 'gusset tothe side bar at widelyseparated points on the opposite sides of thecross bar. The longi-A tudinal line on which the `said rivets arevAplaced forms the base of a triangle, the' a `xof which is that point onthe inner' en of Ath`e gusset 'plate where a, rivetl connectsth'e gussetand the cross bar.

Ham'ng thus describ,v d .my invention, what I claim and desirev tosecure byLetters Pat# ent'of the United States, is:

.1. A sprin hanger, formed integrally with aglatera y wi ened gussetp'late,rthe said spring hangersbein composed of two portions 0pendicularly to the planeof the plate and formed integrally 2A spr' haner with a. latex-lilly wir cned gusset plate, the

portion of the 'set plate being connected to the cross bar.

the gusset p ate extending peril name at Milwaukee, this 11th day ofJune, 125 '1926.'

lneraseo Asaid spring hanger being composed of two composed of twoportions of the gusset plate extendingperpendic'ularly'` tov the planeof the plate and parallelto each other, the widened ortions of thegusset plate be-fing connected to the side bar and another gusset platebeing connected -to the cross bar.

4. In an automobile frame, a side bar and across bar,` in combinationwith a spring y hanger formed integrally with a widened gusset plate,the said spring hanger being composed of two portions of the gussetplate extending perpendicularly to the plane of the plate and parallelto each other, with the marginal edge of the' plate' turned'froi 90 theplane thereof. to malntain the spring hanger against deflection thevwidened portions of the gusset plate ing connected to the side bar andanother portion of thel gus-Av 5. 4In an automobile frame, a side barand a cross bar in combination with a depending spring hanger formedintegrally with a rlaterally widened gusset late,'the widened -parts ofthe gusset plate eing connected to plane thereof tomaintaintiespringhanger i i against deflection, the widened parts of.the gusset plate being-connected to theside bar at points on oppositesides. of the cross bar and to the cross bar at a point remote from ithe connections with the side bar. 1l

f 7. In an automobile frame, a side bar andl across bar, in combinationwith a depending spring hanger formed integrally with a laterallywidenedrgusset plate, the widened parts of the gusset plate eingconnected to the side bar at separated pointsv and to th,-

crossbar at a point remote from the con`` neet-ions with the side bar.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my B. T. ANDREN. y

